Seven Weasleys
by KingdomKey1121
Summary: A sort of mash-up; 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' meets 'Harry Potter'. Heavy Ron/Hermione.
1. Firewhiskey

_**Something somewhat original! Yeay! So, the other day I was watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and the Pontipees reminded me of the Weasleys; they all have red hair and there are seven of them! So I started thinking of a fanfic I could write about the Weasleys as the Pontipees and BAM! Instant classic haha. Obviously, I have to tweak the stories of both so they'll complement each other, but I'll do my best! For example, Ron is obviously not the oldest, and he's not looking for a wife (that's so endearingly old-fashioned). But I tried to mesh Adam's character and Ron's together, Milly with Hermione, and so on. Hope I do the thing justice!**_

* * *

Hermione began her day as usual. She woke up, dressed, washed her face, made an attempt at taming her hair, and giving up, went downstairs where she donned an apron and lit a fire beneath the cauldron in the hearth. Tom poked his head into the kitchen when she had started the day's stew, drawn by the aroma of potatoes and beef and gravy. He sniffed heavily.

"Smellin' good already, 'Mione," he said, smiling toothily at her. He shuffled away, leaving her to slave away above the smoking cauldron.

A few hours later, at eleven on the dot, as every day, Hermione heaved the hot stew out into the main lounge area and onto one of the old wooden tables.

"Soup's up!" she announced to the people – mostly men – waiting there. Most were regulars, but there were a few she didn't recognize. One in particular caught Hermione's eye; a redhead slumped at the bar. He had twisted around on his stool to watch the proceedings.

The men around her were already scrambling for bowls and seats. Hermione used a hover charm to tip stew into each of their waiting bowls, their faces anxious and hungry.

"'Mione, did I tell you your stew is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten?"

"Only every day, Harry."

When Hermione moved around the table to get to the others, she was distracted by the addition to the party. The man from the bar had wandered over and taken a seat. He was staring at her. Trying not to notice too much, she directed the cauldron over to him, pouring steaming stew into his bowl, watching it hit the bottom wetly.

The cauldron floated from him, but he was still staring at her. She turned away and as she did so, she unmistakably heard him say, "Did you make this?"

Turning back, Hermione replied, "Yes."

He held her gaze for a few seconds before shoveling some into his mouth.

"Wow, this is brilliant. Bloody good."

"Thank you."

He continued eating and Hermione served the rest of the men. The clinking and clanking of dishes and the hum of conversation followed her back to the kitchen. After she had wiped the dirty cauldron with a cleaning charm, she returned to the main dining area to clear away the dishes. A few of the men were still working on their helpings. The redhead had returned to the bar.

One of the regulars, Harry Potter, handed his empty bowl to her.

"That was excellent, 'Mione."

"You've said as much," said Hermione, taking his bowl and smiling gently. She wanted to get away before he started hitting on her again.

She managed to evade his hand as he grabbed for her waist and went into the kitchen to dispose of the dishes. She picked up the book she had discarded the day before and peered out, gauging Harry's position in the room. She stealthily, but still naturally, headed for the other side of the room near the bar and perched herself on a stool, opening her book and quickly losing herself it its pages.

She lost track of time while reading, so the next time she glanced up, the ginger who had come to taste her stew had moved to sit one stool away from her. He was hunched over, staring at the mug in his hands, but saw her head come up out of the corner of his eye and looked around.

"'Lo," he said.

"Hello."

He took a sip of his firewhiskey.

"You're a dab hand at cooking," he said, staring at her intently. Maybe it was the whiskey, but his eyes were bright blue.

"Thanks very much," said Hermione, unable to keep eye contact.

In her peripheral, she saw him take another draught of the drink.

"I'm Ron Weasley, by the way," he said, holding out his hand.

She took it. "Hermione Granger." He smelled of grass and alcohol.

"Nice to meet you," said the redhead.

"What's your story then, Ron?"

"Oh, you know," said Ron, stretching exaggeratedly. "Been left my parent's farm, so my siblings and me have had to work at it for some time to keep it in top form."

"Is that so?" He was a farmer then. "What are you doing here in town?"

"Lookin' for help. There's so much to do outside that none of us can get to the inside of the house. We need an amah of sorts."

"I see," said Hermione.

"Someone to cook and clean for us. We'd pay 'em, of course."

"Of course."

He stopped to take another drink.

"But I got distracted and had to sit a drink on my through to Diagon Alley, and here I am," said Ron Weasley, concluding his short story.

Silence fell between them. The ginger gulped down the rest of his drink and stood.

"It was nice to chat with you, but I should go find my help."

He waved and stepped out of the back door of the pub. Hermione stared silently after him for a few seconds before going back to her book.

As the afternoon wore on, she found herself glancing up every time someone walked into the pub from the door to the Alley. After this happened for the eighth time, she mentally shook herself, reprimanding herself for her schoolgirl behavior.

The next time it happened it _was_ him, and she stared unashamedly as he crossed the room and, without looking over at her, pulled open the front door and slipped out. Before the door swung shut, she saw him turn on the spot and apparate away.

Slightly annoyed, she went back to her book.

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_**Thanks for reading! Please review ^_^**_


	2. The Weasleys

**_This is where it gets interesting..._**

_**

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The next morning was much the same as any other morning. She woke, cooked and served her stew to the assembly, cleaned up, and gathered up her book to read. Harry Potter was sitting at the bar today, so she chose to curl up into an armchair by the fire, which was more comfortable anyway. She was making excellent progress when she became suddenly aware of a presence next to her. She glanced up; Ron Weasley had taken a seat in an adjacent armchair.

"'Lo," said Ron when she had noticed him.

"Hello, how are you today?"

"All right." He offered nothing more.

"Have you found your amah, yet?" said Hermione.

"Not yet, no, else I wouldn't be here, would I?" He chuckled. "My siblings are getting cheesed at me for spending so much time here, when I could be helping them."

"Well, that's no good," said Hermione disapprovingly.

"Yeah, so I've got to get cracking and find one."

"Indeed."

He didn't move.

"Well, I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I could hire you?"

Hermione didn't answer. Ron stood awkwardly. "I'm sorry, maybe that wasn't the right way to ask."

Harry Potter wandered over then, interrupting.

"Your stew was great today, 'Mione," he said and took a sip of his firewhiskey.

"Thanks, Harry. Wait, Mr. Weasley—" said Hermione, for he had started to sidle away. "If I could, I'd like to ponder your offer."

His face suddenly lit up. "Sure. I'll be back later then."

He left. Harry was eyeing his back suspiciously.

"Who is that fellow?"

"Ron Weasley."

"I've heard of his family. Parents died a long time ago. Not a very social lot, from what I've been told. And they're all ginger," he finished, as if that settled the matter. "Stay away from them," he added and made his way back to the bar.

Hermione did not intend to heed Harry's warning. On the contrary, she was already letting her mind drift to scenarios that included cooking and cleaning for one man. She enjoyed working at the Leaky Cauldron, and Tom treated her well, but she was ready for a change. She was sick of the slobs and bums that passed through daily, and welcomed Ron Weasley's offer whole-heartedly. It was in this mindset that she went to Tom with her resignation.

"What?" said Tom, flabbergasted upon hearing the news. "But why?"

"I'm really, very sorry, Tom, but I need a change of scene."

"Why so sudden?"

"An alternative just came up," said Hermione, trying to hide her smile.

In spite of all his protesting, she went upstairs to pack her possessions; most of them were books but she had a few other bits and bobs as well. She fit all of this easily into a handbag with an expansion charm and went back into the pub. Word had stolen around so by that time, every customer was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with similar looks of horror and shock on their faces.

"Oh, 'Mione, tells us Tom's lying!"

The rest broke out into similar objections.

"You're the best cook ever, you can't go!"

"You're all over-exaggerating," said Hermione, but was flattered all the same. She pushed her way through the throng.

"Please, you can't sway me; I've made up my mind."

The crowd followed, grabbing uselessly for her and continuing to object.

"C'mon, Hermy, you can't be serious!"

"I _am_ serious!" she said, beginning to get aggravated.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Everyone stopped and looked to the voice. Ron Weasley was framed in the doorway, hands clenched into fists.

"Mr. Weasley, I accept your offer," said Hermione. Clutching her handbag, she moved toward him gratefully. Muttering broke out behind her.

"What's this?"

"You're taking up with Weasley?"

"Yes," said Hermione, challenging. "I am going to be his amah."

"The scandal!" cried a woman among the onlookers.

"I suggest we go, Mr. Weasley," Hermione sniffed. "Before we offend someone."

"Right—" Looking slightly confused, he held the door open for her and they stepped outside.

There were many cries of outrage and mourning as they shut the door behind them.

"Where to?" Hermione asked. Ron held out his arm.

"I'll take you home, then, I suppose."

She took hold of his forearm and immediately felt the familiar sensation of apparation.

They landed in a quaint little garden behind a brick house.

"Welcome to The Burrow."

"How charming!" Hermione said, gazing around her at the countryside. Her eyes eventually wandered to the house and up. And up. And up.

Instead of ending at a roof, the house kept going. It was a decently large tower. She wondered what on earth he needed all of the room for.

"I'll show you the inside, and your room."

Ron guided her around to the front of the house. There was a man there, chopping wood. He directed his wand at each piece of timber, and blasted it apart. He looked like he was having fun.

"This is my brother, Charlie. He's second-oldest."

The man turned around to stare at Hermione. There were slivers of wood in his blazing red hair and his eyes were every bit as blue as Ron's.

"Who's this?" Charlie asked, wiping his sweaty face on his sleeve.

"Hermione, she's the amah."

Charlie stood still for a moment before bursting into laughter. He quieted down a bit after Ron threw a piece of wood at him.

"Shut up! I'm serious!"

"We didn't think you'd actually find one!" said Charlie, still shaking with laughter.

"I can do anything I set my mind to!"

"Sure you can, ikle-Ronniekin," said a new voice. Two more redheads had appeared. They were identical twins.

"We couldn't help overhearing," said one twin.

"Not after Charlie's outburst," said the other.

"Sorry if he scared you, miss," said the first.

"He has no manners," said the second.

"I'm George."

"I'm Fred."

"Nice to meet you," they said together, stepping forward and taking a hand of Hermione's each and kissing it.

"Nice to meet you," said Hermione, overwhelmed.

"I was just going to show her the house," said Ron, steering her to the door.

The three brothers followed.

They entered the kitchen. The centerpiece was a very long wooden table. Seated at this table was the only woman Hermione had seen so far at the Burrow; she, too, had red hair.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Hello," she said, looking up from her meal. "Who've you got there?"

"Hermione, our amah."

She stared. Then she began laughing, as Charlie had. "Really? You actually found someone to look after us? Is she mental, or did you put her under the Imperius curse?"

Ron's ears had turned bright red to match his hair. The other brothers laughed with their sister.

"She chose to be here!"

"Wait," said Hermione. "You _all _live here?"

Just then, two more redheaded men burst into the kitchen; they were out of breath.

"We heard Charlie laughing and came to see if he'd gotten into a brawl with Ron again—" said the shorter of the two. They stopped dead.

"Who're you?" the taller one asked; he was wearing glasses.

"Bill and Percy," Ron said, pointing at each in turn. "This is our amah."

"Really?" said the one called Percy, reaching forward to shake her hand. "Glad to see you were brave enough to take on the challenge."

Hermione deflected his hand and rounded on Ron.

"You never said I had to clean up after seven of you."

Ron fidgeted nervously. "Must've slipped my mind."

"Never even _mentioned_ it!"

"Uh, oh. Someone's in trouble," crowed one of the twins.

"Why didn't you tell me you had six siblings and that they all lived with you in the house that I have to clean and cook for?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd come right along if I did—"

"Big trouble!" hollered the other twin. Ron swung around and bashed his fist into the side of his brother's head. They fell into the table and began wrestling on the ground. The other twin joined in, as did the one who had been chopping wood; the sister started cheering them on as the two newest additions attempted to pull them all apart.

Hermione spun on her heel, wrenched the door open, and escaped into the yard, fighting back tears.

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	3. Changes

**_The second part of this chapter is split into parts; I thought'd it be boring to read about Hermione cleaning the whole chapter. I don't even go that in-depth anyway._**

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She paced in the yard for ten minutes before the Weasleys threw Ron outside to face her. He stood awkwardly against the door that was his only escape route. She saw a bruise blooming around his left eye and fought the urge to laugh unkindly.

"You'll probably want to leave now, huh?"

Hermione continued to walk furiously back and forth, carving a trail in the dirt.

"I'm really sorry."

She came to a halt.

"_You're_ sorry? Well, so am I!"

"There's no need to get your knickers in a twist, I did imply—"

"Oh, you _implied_! I'm glad to know I was supposed to look for a hidden meaning!"

"When I said 'amah', what did you think I meant?"

"I thought you meant I only had to cater to _your_ every whim, not to those of your brothers!"

"I said we _all_ inherited the bloody farm!"

"I must have missed the memo!"

They were both shouting now and had unconsciously moved forward so that they were almost spitting into each other's faces.

"Why don't you just leave then?" yelled Ron.

"I can't _now_!" shrieked Hermione.

"Bloody hell, why not?"

"Because I made a fool out of myself when I left and to go groveling back now would be humiliating!"

They stood panting from the effort of argument.

"Fine," said Ron, forcing calm. "Get inside and start your duties then."

"Not until it's empty of Weasleys."

The door opened at once and the brothers and sister paraded out; they had obviously been listening at the door and windows. Hermione glared at them as they marched past. Fred or George, she couldn't tell which, tried to say something but quailed under her stare.

When they had all hurried past, she strode into the house and slammed the door shut. A second later, Ron hammered on it.

"Go away! You're not allowed back in here until tomorrow morning, by which time I will have made myself at home!"

She heard a muffled groan from the other side of the door. She found sleeping outside a fitting punishment for all of them. Perhaps it would teach them a lesson.

Hermione turned, rolled up her sleeves, whipped out her wand, and prepared herself for a full-on scrub.

The entire house was indeed a dump. She began in the kitchen, wiping surfaces clean, vanishing piles of who knows what, and siphoning away the crusted mud on the floor. She was finished with the kitchen by three o'clock, after shooing a nest of mice out of a cupboard. Satisfied, she moved to the living room, which was in a state of obvious disuse.

* * *

Outside, the Weasleys continued their work, all feeling slightly guilty, but none more so than Ron, who was working at a half-pace at best. It didn't help that his siblings laughed and taunted him whenever they were near enough. And all the while, the crashings and bangings drifting from the house made them all incredibly uneasy.

* * *

The sitting room was not too difficult; it mostly just needed a good dusting. Hermione had moved onto the staircase by five and had reluctantly entered the first bedroom, dreading what she might find.

* * *

By this time, the Weasleys were starting to get hungry. They argued amongst themselves until they chose Ginny, the youngest and only girl, to sneak into the house and grab them some food. She tried the door and found it magically sealed. Cursing under her breath, she went back to the field.

* * *

The first bedroom was not disappointing. Two beds were crammed in among stacks and stacks of papers. What farmers needed paperwork for was beyond Hermione, but she swept them all up and into neat piles. When she could see most of the carpeted floor again, she moved on to the other bedroom on the floor. She immediately felt much better about her situation when she entered. It was more or less neat and tidy, with flowered drapes on the windows and family portraits on the wardrobe. She made a mental note to be nicer to Ginny as she climbed the steps to the second floor.

* * *

Ron had been staring at the same patch of dirt for the last ten minutes. Charlie finally meandered over and shoved him roughly.

"Stop daydreaming, kid!"

Ron shook his head and continued to dig, shoulder stinging.

* * *

The next bedroom was worse than the first. There were scraps of paper, half-eaten food, and dirt everywhere. There was even a spot on the wall that looked suspiciously as though it had been burned.

Hermione had just finished this room when the clock struck six. Promising herself supper after the other bedroom on the floor, she saw that this room was tidier than Ginny's had been. As a reward to the owner of the room and herself, she didn't touch anything inside. She fixed herself a quick meal out of the food supplies the Weasleys had in their scullery and took a quick peek out of the window before heading back up to the third floor.

* * *

Percy and the twins were shelling peas in the yard when they noticed the now-clean curtain move. All three looked up in time to see the face of their new amah before she turned back into the house. The brothers exchanged looks of exasperated admiration at her determination and went back to their work.

* * *

It was the most disgusting lavatory Hermione had ever seen, and that included the bathrooms in the Leaky Cauldron. It took her a good hour to scrub down all the mildew and filth, even using magic. Sweating and exhausted, she stomped up to the next floor and was pleasantly relieved to see that the master bedroom was in the same state as the sitting room downstairs; it only need to be dusted.

* * *

The sun had begun to set. Bill and Charlie were contemplating where they would be sleeping. In the orchard under the stars, or a makeshift camp in the old garage? The vote was unanimous: orchard. The garage held an odor that had long since become permanent. They'd be fine as long as it didn't rain. They felt that even then, the mad amah wouldn't let them in.

* * *

Hermione almost stormed back down the stairs to yell at Ron some more when she opened his bedroom door. It was easily the messiest room in the entire house after the bathroom. She had, at first, been expecting to be just picking up after him, but that in itself now seems like a massive chore. As an extra punishment, she left his room as she found it and locked it, planning to have him sleep outside for a few more days. Or perhaps in the attic that she refused to even look into.

* * *

Night had truly fallen. The Weasleys were stretched out on the grass under the navy sky. Bill and Percy were already snoring. Ginny was curled into Charlie's side and the twins' limbs were draped over each other. Ron, instead of trying to sleep, watched apprehensively as the lights flickered on and off while Hermione moved up the stairs. When she got to the top, she seemed to spend the least time there and Ron felt calm enough to close his eyes and try to forget about the disastrous day he had created.

* * *

Hermione settled herself in the master bedroom. She fell asleep almost at once, feeling it had a job well done, despite her initial anger and disapproval.

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_**Thank you for reading, please review ^_^**_


	4. The Burrow

The Weasleys lined up outside the kitchen door at dawn the next morning, trying to make themselves look sorry and presentable. When Hermione opened the door they all put on the same semi-sincere smile.

"Girls first," she told them, ushering Ginny into the house and slamming the door on the brothers' faces.

"Go on upstairs and clean up, but try not to make a mess in the bathroom."

Hermione heard the water running as she started to fix breakfast for the eight of them. She had thought up this one-at-a-time plan in her sleep and thought it'd be best – and easiest.

When Ginny had finished and come down to take a seat at the table, Hermione asked her whose the tidy bedroom on the second floor was.

"That'd be Percy, he's always been barking mad about it being neat and organized."

Percy was let in next. The Weasleys had taken to playing some sort of game in the yard as they waited, but Ron, she noticed, was sitting farther away, looking morose.

Ginny chatted away about life at the Burrow as Hermione cooked. Hermione had to admit it was fearfully fascinating. Ginny might just become quite a good friend.

When Percy had finished, she let Bill and Charlie in together. Fred and George, being left alone with Ron, started to bother him mercilessly.

The eldest brothers cleaned up very well. Bill and Percy weren't nearly as rude as the other siblings were. Indeed, they were almost perfect gentlemen – when not covered in dirt.

The twins came in next and took the longest to clean up. They came down looking disgruntled.

"We couldn't find any of our things," said George.

"Not after you went in there and sorted it all," said Fred.

When all of the Weasleys, save one, where seated around the table looking tidy, she went back outside to retrieve Ron.

He stood quickly when she opened the door.

"'Lo," he said in what he clearly thought was a cheerfully indifferent way.

How dare he use the same greeting that had so easily won her over?

"Go clean up," she said without looking at him for longer than it took to shoot a scathing glance.

Hermione was just ladling stew into the Weasleys bowls when Ron came storming down the stairs.

"I can't get into my room!" he shouted.

"I locked it," said Hermione calmly.

"Obviously!"

"I'm not finished with it."

"How am I supposed to change clothes if I can't get into my room?"

"You'll either have to shower in the clothes you have on right now or eat breakfast naked."

"Please save us the unpleasant image," said one of the twins. Ron advanced on his brother as though to strike him again.

"Ronald Weasley, if you start a fight in this house, so help me, I will make you sleep in the broom shed for a month."

All the Weasleys froze.

"Merlin, you sounded just like our mother," said Charlie, wide-eyed.

"Which is definitely a compliment, as she was a formidable witch," piped up Percy.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Ron, thundering back up the stairs.

"And no expletives, either!" she called.

Half an hour later, everyone seemed fed and happy. Ron was still soggy from his clothed shower. They thanked Hermione copiously, slathering on compliments that were both suspicious and flattering. As they all traipsed outside to start their various labors, Hermione held Ron back.

"What?" he asked when his siblings had exited. He was tapping his fingers on his damp jeans anxiously.

"What if I told you I'd be making you sleep outside again tonight?"

His eyes flashed with anger for a moment before his face fell and he said, "I'd say I deserved it."

"This self-pity isn't going to get you anywhere," said Hermione.

"So you'd rather I raged and stormed around, yelling?"

"I'd rather you just spoke your mind, not what you think I'm expecting."

Ron said nothing.

"And I'd rather not keep fighting with you, it exhausts me," continued Hermione. "I'll need all of my energy for the daily chores I'm going to be doing."

"So you _are_ staying?" said Ron.

"Despite how I've been acting, I actually would like to try."

"That's great! The guys'll be pleased! And Bill's been worried that Ginny needs some feminine company—"

"Looks like I'm the right woman for the job," said Hermione, smiling despite herself.

"And I've been thinking—" said Ron. "I could do you a favor and clean my own room, you know, as friends. That way you don't have to deal with it and I don't have to worry about what you might toss out."

Hermione scowled at him crossly. "What exactly is in there that you don't want me to see?"

"Nothing, but a bloke's room is private."

"Fine. But I will inspect it and if it doesn't live up to my expectations of clean I will make you sleep in the attic."

"Deal," said Ron, grinning and heading outside, forgetting to duck and bashing his head on the doorframe. Hermione giggled as he slammed the door behind him, ears bright red.

* * *

A routine formed gradually over the next week. Hermione woke up at daybreak to prepare breakfast for herself and the Weasleys. They all ate together at the large scrubbed table in the middle of the kitchen. Then, the redheads trudged outside to do whatever they did all day, not coming in until around six, for they never ate lunch, which gave Hermione ample time to make them a three-course supper out of anything she could scrounge from the scullery.

Meals were an entertainingly lovely affair; the conversations ranged from things Percy read in the _Daily Prophet_ to the different noises objects made when you hit them with a shovel. Hermione found herself laughing at pranks pulled by Fred and George (whom she could now accurately tell apart) and crying over the older brothers' stories about their late parents. She and Ginny (a year apart, she learned) became immensely amused when talking about boys and fashion. She even had to scold herself on those rare occasions she couldn't help staring at Ron.

She was beginning to care deeply for the family, who were not as rude or rough as she had once guessed.

Exactly one week after her unceremonious arrival, Ron held back after breakfast and slipped an envelope onto the table she was clearing.

"What's this?" said Hermione, plucking it off the wood and turning it over.

"Your salary for the week," said Ron. "I told you we'd pay you."

Hermione remembered. "Thanks very much."

Ron grunted and departed.

That night at supper, she announced that she was going to Diagon Alley the next day for food supplies. At once, every one of them offered to be her escort.

"Oh, really, I'll be fine."

"I dunno. That bloke at the Leaky Cauldron definitely thought you were his property," interjected Ron.

"It's settled then!" said Fred. "I'm taking her!"

"No way, I am!" said Charlie. "I'm taller than you, you'd look dumb next to her."

"Honestly, she should take someone with _brains_," said Percy, shooting his brothers a look of disgust.

"That excludes you, then," said George nastily.

"Hey, you lot, shut it," said Bill, glancing apologetically at Hermione.

"I think I should do it, seeing as I'm a girl," said Ginny.

"What does that have to do with anything?" shot Fred.

"Girls have more fun shopping than boys, you tosspot."

"Quiet, all of you!" interrupted Hermione. "I think I'll bring Ron, because he hasn't said anything at all."

In fact, he had been staring into his bowl of stew since his off-hand comment about Harry Potter. When she said his name, he flung up his head in surprise.

"How about it?"

Everyone was staring at him.

"Er—sure?"

The next morning, Ron and Hermione set off to Diagon Alley together, leaving the disgruntled family behind.

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_**Thank you for reading, please review ^_^**_


	5. Proposal

**_The narration became omniscient in this chapter, let me know if it's distracting._**

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Hermione had been dreading her return to the Leaky Cauldron but she needn't have worried; the old crowd greeted her cheerfully (though Ron was dutifully ignored) and there was no sign of Harry Potter. Tom presented her with a free meal and even offered Ron a glass of Firewhiskey on the house, which he refused.

"I can think clearer without it," he said.

When Hermione was full, the pair proceeded into Diagon Alley. Ron was following as close to her as he could without touching her and because of this, he accidentally ran into her when she stopped just outside Gringotts.

"Sorry," he said, taking a few steps back.

"I'm going to grab some more money from my vault, I think."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No need," she said.

So Ron was left standing outside the bank uncomfortably. He did not know what Hermione was expecting as an escort and felt sorely in need of lessons in social interaction. He watched the people who passed by, trying to figure out what was acceptable. His mind kept flashing to the search for an amah, which had been his first time in Diagon Alley alone. None of the others had wanted to go, so Bill had sent him. In fact, the only reason he'd stopped in the Leaky Cauldron for a drink was because he was so terrified at the prospect. But lucky that he did; Hermione was a wonderful find, though he'd never admit it out loud.

"Ready?" she asked, emerging from Gringotts laden with a small sack of gold.

"Yep." He followed her down the street.

"You know, the reason those weasels all wanted to come with you is because they wanted to get away for a day. They're just too cowardly to go by themselves."

"Is that so?" said Hermione, glancing back at him curiously. "Are you that way too?"

"Most definitely."

They talked no more until after Hermione had bought all of their groceries.

"I'd like to stop in Flourish and Blotts for a minute, if it isn't too much trouble," said Hermione, leading him into the shop.

"Not at all."

The shopkeeper, who knew Hermione by name, immediately began showing her his newest wares. Ron skulked about the shop, reading random titles on the shelves. Hermione finally selected a silver-embossed hardcover entitled "_The Story of the Sabine Women_". She purchased it, found Ron in the "Love and Belonging" section, and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Ron insisted on buying her lunch before they went back to the Burrow. Hermione opened her book and began reading as they ate, leaving Ron with nothing to do but watch her, which was far from boring. She made interesting faces while she pored over the book, making him curious about what exactly she was reading.

"Hello, 'Mione."

Both looked to the person now standing beside their table.

"Hello, Harry," said Hermione, standing courteously and shaking his hand. "How are you?"

"Great, actually. I found myself a job at the Ministry, so no more bumming around here every day," he said with a grin. Hermione was pleased to see he was perfectly normal when not intoxicated. "We all still miss you around here, though."

At this, he gave Ron a cold, hard stare. Ron stood as well and said, "And you are?"

"Potter. Harry Potter."

"Ron Weasley."

Neither man extended his hand.

"Well, we'd better be going," said Hermione, averting disaster. "We've all our errands finished. Come on, Ron."

He brushed past Harry.

"I'll see you around then, 'Mione," Harry called.

Ron had to resist the urge to turn around and punch him in the face.

"Why does he call you that?" he muttered to Hermione when they had exited the building.

"I've known him for ages, it's sort of like a pet name for me."

"Well, I don't like it," said Ron stubbornly as they apparated away together.

They appeared again in the garden behind the Burrow and as Ron picked his way around to the front Hermione distinctly heard him grumble, "Thick git…"

Ron seemed preoccupied all through dinner. Afterward, for the first time, all the Weasleys and Hermione settled themselves in the disused sitting room.

"So, how'd it go?" George asked.

"Bet Ron whined the whole time," said Ginny.

"No, he was very gentlemanly." Until he met Harry…

"Dinner was great, as always," said Bill, while the others nodded fervently.

"We're so glad we got you instead of a house-elf—Ron preferred an elf, didn't you, Ron?" said Fred, punching Ron in the shoulder.

"No, I didn't," said Ron, ears turning red.

"Can I come with you next time you go out?" Charlie asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Why can't you all go by yourselves?"

For once, none answered immediately.

"Well…"

"You see…"

"We're lousy at spellwork," Ginny finally admitted. "We don't like going anywhere for fear of scorn."

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about, nobody cares!" said Hermione. The Weasleys looked at her skeptically.

"And no one's mentioned that we don't have very good people skills either," said Charlie.

"That's easily remedied!" said Hermione. Fred scoffed loudly.

"What if you… taught us, Hermione?" said Percy.

"Now that's an idea," said Ron.

"Taught you?"

"Teach us some good spells," said Bill. "It might make our chores go faster!"

"But I saw Charlie using magic when I first arrived—"

"Basic wandwork," said Charlie with a dismissive air.

"What makes you think I'd be a good teacher?"

"You read," said Ron excitedly. "You must know all kinds of useless stuff!"

Hermione looked slightly affronted.

"Oh, please teach us!" pleaded Ginny.

"And then maybe you can tell us how to talk to gir—er, people," said Fred.

Every one of the redheads had plastered on a pouting look. Hermione sighed.

"All right."

Bill and Percy cheered; the twins jumped up, roaring; Charlie pounded the carpet with his fist; Ron strode over to Hermione with the intent of giving her a hug, but Ginny got there first and he veered off course and sat down on the sofa instead.

* * *

**_Things are about to get interesting!_**

**_Thanks for reading, please review ^_^_**


	6. Bonding

_**This chapter was much longer than I expected it to be... haha. **_

_

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_

The first lesson took place in the sitting room the next day after dinner. They filled Hermione in on the limited amount of magic they knew and she picked some spells to start to teach them. It quickly became evident that they had not been exaggerating in the slightest; they didn't know very much about spellwork.

First, she taught them _incarcerous _to conjure ropes so that they wouldn't have to drag things around any longer. The room was filled with ropes; ropes around the sofa, ropes around the light fixtures, ropes around Hermione, which she had to vanish at the end of the evening. Fred and George had a bout of tying up their siblings until Hermione threatened to hide all of their belongings if they didn't stop.

The next night, she introduced _accio_ to counter the damage she had done the previous night with _incarcerous_. Things were flying everywhere and more than once Ron got smacked in the face with a sofa cushion.

Hermione gave herself a break the next night, much to the Weasleys' utter disappointment. Instead, they could be seen practicing their new spells with glee outside. She found herself coming up with plans for the evening's lesson while she cooked.

She decided to teach them _diffindo_ the following night, which was most chaotic spell yet. First thing, Charlie, pointing his wand carelessly at Ginny, accidentally cut a gash into her back. Hermione had to mend it inefficiently with some Dittany while Charlie apologized profusely.

Because of this incident, she taught them _lumos_ the next evening, which promised to not hold as much pandemonium as _diffindo_. Percy and Ron seemed to have fun with this one, pointing their lit wandtips into different corners of the room. Fred and George scampered around, annoyingly pointing their wands into their siblings' faces to blind them.

"What would you lot say to learning some dueling spells?" she asked them after the last foray into magic. Since they all seemed to want to do things to each other, why not? They all enthusiastically agreed.

They did _expelliarmus_, then quickly went on to _protego_; Hermione thought defensive spells ought to be shown first (for everyone's safety). The Weasleys were exceptionally bright people despite what everyone thought (including themselves), so it was no surprise to Hermione that they were ready for curses and hexes the next evening.

She told them about the bat-bogey hex, _tarantallegra_, _rictursempra_, _petrificus totalus_, and a few other simple ones, and told them to choose which ones they wanted to learn. She spent that night walking around to each of them in turn, dealing out tips.

By the end of her second week at the Burrow, Hermione had become more than just an amah and a teacher to the Weasleys. She felt herself becoming part of the family.

Hermione opted for a two-day hiatus after the hassle of the defensive spells, which gave the Weasleys time to practice their new magic. When they met again, they showed off for Hermione, who was very impressed with their progress and finally decided to see what she could do about their poor social interaction.

"Dancing!" said Hermione to the horror-stricken faces.

"How's that supposed to help?" said Ron, frozen in his seat next to Ginny on the sofa.

"First, it'll get you used to being physically close to people, which is certainly helpful."

"How is that helpful?" asked George suspiciously.

"Trust me," Hermione said firmly, not willing to discuss feminine logic to people with Y-chromosomes.

"Second, waltzing makes room for conversation. Intelligent conversation."

The men look even more panicked.

"It's not that scary," said Ginny, standing. "I'll get this sorry lot to dance, don't worry, Hermione."

"Thank you, Ginny."

Hermione waved her wand at the wireless on the table and it tuned itself automatically to a classical station. Ginny approached Bill, who she dragged reluctantly into the center of the room. Hermione placed their hands where they needed to be (waist, shoulder, hands), and set them off. Ginny tried to float but Bill was wobbling stiffly. The twins jeered and catcalled.

"Come on, Ron," said Hermione, taking his hands and hauling him into the middle of the room as well. His hands mimicked Bill's on Ginny and they started to move.

Ron was tall and lanky, which was made more awkward because he was staring at his feet.

"Ron," said Hermione, coaxing. He looked up into her face. "Relax. I'm leading, you're not going to trip." So he stared intently at her shoulder instead.

After a few minutes, Hermione said over her shoulder to the remaining pairs, "Come on, you four. Partner up and get dancing!"

"There are no more ladies left," Percy pointed out.

"It's not our fault there were only two available," said Ginny. "Let's go, get up!"

So Charlie paired up with Percy - they didn't have a choice, the twins were a built-in duo.

Soon, the four couples were spinning in as wide of circles as the room would permit. Ginny giggled as Charlie cut in between her and Bill and the latter went to go break up Ron and Hermione. Fred and George attacked Ron and Percy respectively and soon they were all dancing once again.

By ten o'clock, everyone had danced with one of the females. Ron kept cutting back into Hermione's dances, which no one failed to notice.

It was only when Percy stepped on Ginny's foot for the fourth time did they all give it a rest. Ron had been Hermione's last partner and kissed her hand before bidding her goodnight. She sat in on the sofa after they'd all gone upstairs, rubbing her feet, and thinking it'd been the best lesson she'd given them yet.

* * *

Instead of introducing more magic, Hermione stuck with "people skills", as Charlie called them, because she thought they were actually getting somewhere with it.

The lesson proceeding the night of dancing was met with scorn from the Weasley men. Hermione had written up conversation topics, which the family had to respond to effectively. The twins gave ridiculous answers to the questions posed that were clearly only for laughter.

"As long as you never try and be serious, you'll do great," said Hermione, agitated. Fred and George congratulated themselves.

"Cheers!" they said, leaping from the room comically.

Bill, Percy, and Ginny were the best at her mini-game.

"You should be fine, I don't know why you're so worried."

Ron and Charlie seemed to have the most trouble, taking long periods of time to answer, as though getting their thoughts in order. But although they spent laborious seconds coming up with their responses, they were well thought-out.

"Honestly, I don't see why you lot think you can't talk to anyone."

In no time at all, the Weasleys were confident enough to start talking about a trip to London.

"By all means, go!" said Hermione.

So that Sunday, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny took the plunge and apparated away from their safe house and out into public society.

Hermione wasn't worried in the least, she knew they could do it. It was indeed an added bonus that Ron had refused to accompany them, saying he'd been to town enough times in the last month.

Ron spent most of the day outside, thinking about Hermione, and Hermione spent most of the day inside, thinking about Ron. Neither was aware of the other's thoughts.

Around four in the afternoon, Hermione ventured outside. She found Ron in the orchard, soaring above the trees on an old broom. She watched for a while; he could handle himself moderately well. Hermione had never been a very good flyer. She'd once had a fling with an internationally famous Quidditch player, but she tried not to think too much about it; she had been young and foolish.

Eventually, Ron noticed her sprawled in the grass below and descended.

"'Lo," he said, dismounting.

"Hello," she said, sighing in contentedness as she gazed up at the blue sky. He slumped down next to her and stretched out too.

They didn't talk for a while. Suddenly, Hermione turned to Ron.

"Why didn't you go with the others?"

Ron, who was still lying face-up, cocked his head in her direction.

"Because I didn't want to."

"Why not?"

He squinted up at the sky.

"Didn't I tell you to speak your mind, not what you think I want to hear?"

He sighed and sat up.

"I stayed because I wanted to be alone with you."

Hermione sat up too.

"But I thought you've been avoiding me all day."

Ron chuckled bitterly, "Only because I'm too much of a coward."

Hermione lay back once more. Ron made to stand but Hermione reached out and took his hand in both of hers. He settled back into the grass, facing her. His eyes were as blue as the sky above.

He slid toward her and kissed her.

* * *

The Weasleys arrived home at six, just in time for dinner, which Ron and Hermione had a lot of fun cooking together. There were many stories to share around the table that night, none of which included Ron and Hermione's secluded hour in the orchard.

Apparently, each member of the family had met someone whom they planned on going back to see.

"See, it wasn't that hard, was it?" said Hermione happily.

The rest of that week, after the Weasleys had finished with their farm work (in a shorter amount of time than before, thanks to the magic they'd been taught), the Weasleys, save Ron, went to London to court their respective "soul mates".

That Saturday, though, they convinced Ron to come with them, because they said they needed his help with something, and Ginny elected to stay home. The guys thought Hermione would be lonely.

Ginny and Hermione had a lovely day spending time together. After throwing out some gnomes, they planted some vegetables in the garden, which Hermione enchanted to grow exceptionally fast so they'd be ripe in time for dinner.

Ginny read out loud from a romance novel as Hermione cooked, smiling slightly as she remembered the day before when Ron had showered her playfully in flour.

At a quarter to six, the air was suddenly filled with bangs, screams, and laughter. Hermione and Ginny rushed outside, pulling out their wands.

The sight that greeted their eyes made them stop dead in their tracks.

The Weasley men had appeared, each with a woman in bondage slung over his shoulder.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading, please review ^_^**_


	7. Breaking Point

**_Please don't kill me for who I paired them all up with!

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_**

Ron was leading the pack, laughing so hard he was doubled over. He was the only one without a hostage. His brothers let the women down from their backs and started to untie them, all laughing.

Hermione stalked over to Ron, a winter wind whipping her hair and robes around her.

"What the _hell_ is this?"

Ron couldn't respond; he was still in stitches.

The women scuttled away from the Weasleys once they'd been released, going to huddle with Ginny, who was staring at her brothers in shock.

"'Lo! Got you a book," said Ron between guffaws. He held up a handsome leather-bound. Hermione slapped it out of his hands.

"What is this?" she shouted again. Ginny's shocked expression had quickly turned to rage.

"Did you lot kidnap these girls?" she yelled at her brothers. "What the hell were you thinking?"

When none of the men responded, Hermione hit Ron across the face.

"Ronald Weasley!" Ron straightened up, hand rubbing his stinging cheek, all trace of laughter gone.

"It was a joke—"

"This is not a joke," said Hermione in a deadly whisper. The rest of the Weasleys became silent at once.

"Take them back this instant."

"We aren't going to do that," said Ron, a grin sneaking back onto his face.

"Why not?" said Hermione, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Took us a long time to get them," he said. He and his brothers chortled. Ginny sent a curse at Fred that missed him by inches.

"I'll take them back myself, then," said Hermione, turning around.

"You can't do that," said Bill. She stopped.

"Why not?"

"Dad put an enchantment on the property. Only Weasley men can apparate in and out of the Burrow."

"So you just want to wait until their families come and find them and probably _kill_ you all?"

"Oh, it'll take them a _long_ time to do that; Dad made it Unplottable as well," said Charlie.

Hermione knew there had to be a way around this, but she was too angry to sort her thoughts.

"Ginny, take these poor girls inside," she said, not taking her glaring eyes off of Bill. She waited until the door was shut to shove Ron aside and face his brothers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

When no one responded, she raised her wand.

"It was Fred and George's idea!" confessed Percy, putting his hands up in surrender. "They found one of your books--"

"The 'Sobbing Women'—"

"About the Romans—"

"Who carried off women from a neighboring village—"

"We were getting desperate—"

"Why didn't you ask me for help?" said Hermione, shaking with rage.

"We wanted to do it ourselves!"

"We're men, we can handle it."

Hermione glanced at Ron, who she noticed was slightly glassy-eyed.  
"You're all drunk, aren't you?"

They all shifted uneasily.

"That's it!" Hermione shrieked. With a great sweep of her wand, she conjured a flock of canaries and with a cry of "_oppugno_!" she sent the lot of them on the Weasleys, who scattered, hands over their heads. Hermione swept back into the house and slammed the door behind her.

That night, it began to snow.

* * *

The women were all sitting around the table and Ginny had placed a mug of coffee in front of each of them. They huddled over their mugs, crying silently. Hermione joined them, apologizing endlessly. Eventually they were calm enough to introduce themselves.

There was Fleur Delacour, a gorgeous Frenchwoman with long blonde hair; Penelope Clearwater, whom had curly hair and a rather pointy nose; and Alicia Spinnet, a tall, well-built girl. There was Tonks, with a shock of violently violet spiky hair, who refused to give her first name; and Angelina Johnson, a tall black woman with long dreadlocks.

Angelina and Alicia seemed to know each other and sat close together, swapping glances every once and a while. Fleur sat looking offended and haughty and did not speak. Penelope and Tonks were calm enough, though, to carry a conversation with Ginny and Hermione. At half past eight, there was a knock on the door. The women fell silent at once. Ginny made to go answer it, but Hermione waved her away with her hand and pulled open the door herself.

Ron stood on the threshold, snow caught in his flaming hair and soaking through his jacket shoulders. Anger boiling up, Hermione stepped outside and shut the door behind her.

"Yes, Ronald?"

"You know, I didn't actually kidnap anyone."

"You assisted and that's all there is to it."

"But I didn't _actually_ do anything, so I should be able to come in—"

"You obviously didn't do _anything_! You didn't even try to stop them!"

"It wasn't even my idea!"

Ron knew the fight was lost, but he kept on anyway.

"It's _freezing_ out here!"

"You should have thought of that earlier."

"You let me in. I'm still your employer."

"Oh, are you? I'd thought I'd become more than an amah."

"I thought so too, but now I'm thinking otherwise."

The two stood glaring at each other.

"Let me in," Ron said, advancing.

Hermione pulled out her wand. "Don't you dare. This house is for females only until these women are taken back to their homes."

Ron stared at her wand, then raised his eyes to her face. Without saying a word, he spun on his heel and headed to the garage. He looked back when he reached he the door and shouted, "Fine!" He threw the door open, making the brothers camping in there howl and yelp with rage at the cold, rummaged around and came back out, dragging a tent with him.

"I'm going!" he shouted. The Weasleys had all huddled in the door of the garage. "Don't let her give them back," he spat at his siblings and with a last cold glance at Hermione, disapparated, tent and all.

* * *

"He's such a child," said Hermione when she had hurried back inside. She said as much, but she was shaken. Ginny was subdued the rest of the evening and though neither admitted it, they were both worried about Ron and his rash behavior.

Alicia and Angela holed up in Fred and George's room, Fleur and Tonks took Bill and Charlie's room, and Penelope got Percy's room to herself.

Ginny managed to drift off around one o'clock in the morning but Hermione could not sleep. She finally went to her window and lit a candle.

The Weasleys could not sleep either. Not only was the garage cold, but it smelled. The men were all huddled in a pile, despite being uncomfortable so close together.

None regretted their decision to lift their women. None of them had felt so strongly for someone before in their lives. As Bill reasoned, they had to forgive them eventually, and when they did, they'd all live happily ever after. The one thing no one had counted on was Ron and Hermione's little squabble that had caused Ron to run off to who-knows-where.

"If something happens to him—" Bill started.

"It would be all your fault," finished Fred.

"You _are_ the oldest," said Percy.

"S'okay, brother," said Charlie consolingly. "We're all better off without him for now, he could have complicated the situation."

So they all fell into an uneasy sleep.

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_**Thanks for reading, please review ^_^**_


	8. Stockholm Syndrome

_**I hope I buried some plotholes :/ And, again, don't hurt me for the couples I made!

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**_

The morning dawned bright and cold. Fresh snow covered the plains and fields as far as thee eye could see. The Weasley men woke, slightly hungover, from fitful sleep to do their duties. In protest, Ginny vowed to not do her share of the work.

Meanwhile, the women woke to the smell of fresh eggs and bacon, cooked by Hermione, who hadn't slept much. Ginny was all for making her brothers starve but at eleven, Hermione took pity on them and delivered a basket of rolls and bologna to the garage. They were all out and she was glad she didn't have to speak to any of them; she was still very angry.

For the next few days, Hermione set the women to work in different parts of the house to keep them busy while she tried to figure out how to fix the situation. She was to be found shelling peas with Ginny in the scullery one blustery afternoon. They were discussing possible plans for the women's return and admonishing the men for the hundredth time.

"There's one thing I didn't know about though," said Hermione, ripping a pod open with a flick of her wand. "Only Weasley men can apparate in and out of the Burrow?"

"I actually didn't know about that. I've never been able to apparate by myself, so I'd never have known," said, Ginny, shrugging.

"But apparently the men can apparate anyone in and out."

"Apparently."

And that was that.

The next day, Hermione delivered supper to the garage as usual but actually stayed to talk with them. They seemed to become more and more put out every time she saw them.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

All five redheads looked up sullenly. Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Really. What's wrong?"

"D'you know what happened today?" said Charlie, staring at a piece of wall.  
"No, what?"

"I saw Tonks in a window. I stopped to watch her. I love watching her. And d'you know what she did?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Opened the window, smiling at me. I thought she'd say she forgave me and she missed me. But then she suddenly pointed her wand at me – took aim at me! – and sent a curse at me.

"Hermione," he said, scooting up to her. "You don't think she hates me, do you?" He looked so worried and sad that Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly bad for the fellow.

"Well, you _did_ kidnap her."

"Hermione," said Bill, also crawling over to her. "I know now what a terrible, awful thing it was to do to them, but we didn't know what else to do."

"What can we do to fix it?" said Percy.

"Preferably without taking them back," added Fred.

"Well," said Hermione. "I _would _say take them back, first of all."

Fred groaned. "But we already have them here! Half our job's done!"

"If you don't want my help, then don't ask," snapped Hermione and she went back into the house.

The same evening, all the women sat in the sitting room and Hermione read aloud from the book that she had smacked out of Ron's hand the night of the kidnapping. Alicia was drawing on a piece of parchment while Tonks watched and gave pointers. Penelope and Ginny were brushing Fleur's hair and Angelina was lying on the couch with her feet in Ginny's lap, staring at the ceiling.

There was a knock on the door. The women all stopped what they were doing at once. Ginny and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Come in," Hermione called.

The door swung open and there stood George, holding his hat and shyly stepping inside.

"It's really cold out there," he said, glancing over at Alicia. "Could I grab an extra blanket?"

"Go ahead," said Hermione, suspicious. He marched up the stairs and came back down carrying a thick, dusty blanket that he'd gotten from the attic. He stopped at the door and turned back to the room at large.

"Thanks," he said, shooting a look at Alicia again, who giggled as the door shut behind him. Tonks backhanded her shoulder and she quieted down very quickly.

They all resumed their activities until they were interrupted by another knock on the door.

"Come in."

It was Percy. "Cut myself on—"

"Dittany's in the kitchen," said Hermione, eyes narrowing. He nodded and smiled slightly at Penelope before tottering off toward the kitchen. On his way back through, he almost tripped on the doorframe and this made Penelope giggle. Fleur shot her a glare and she became silent.

They had no time to continue their tasks, as there was another knock almost as soon as it had closed.

"Come in," said Hermione, getting very annoyed.

It was Bill and Charlie together. Hermione stood. "And what do you want?"

They seemed at a loss for words; they had just spotted Fleur and Tonks. Hermione strode over and placed a hand on both of their chests, pushing them gently backward. She could see Fred waiting his turn just beyond the door.

"Enough of this!" she said and shut the door behind them with a snap. Ruffled, she turned back to the sitting room to find all the women save Ginny peering eagerly out of the window.

"I think we should all go to bed," said Hermione sternly. The women hurried off up the stairs looking slightly ashamed of themselves. Hermione plopped down on the sofa next to Ginny.

"I miss Harry," said Ginny sadly.

"Harry?"

"I met him in Diagon Alley. I wish I could go back to see him. My brothers are kinda lucky having their girls here to see any time. I can't apparate, so I can't go to him. And he can't come to me."

"Wait, Harry Potter?"

Ginny looked up in surprise. "You know him?"

"We're old friends," said Hermione grimly.

"And," continued Ginny, staring at her hands, "I know you miss Ron. So do I." Hermione had become frozen, perched on the edge of the sofa. Ginny glanced at Hermione fearfully, hoping she hadn't said the wrong thing. Hermione stood. "Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight," said Ginny and watched as Hermione climbed the stairs to her room.

* * *

Alicia and Angelina waited for Hermione to pass their room before sneaking out and entering Fleur and Tonks' room. Penelope was already there.

"So what'd you girls think of the guys' little show?" said Tonks, taking a seat on the floor so Penelope and Alicia could sit on her bed.

"I thought eet was deespicable," sniffed Fleur.

"You were just as excited to see Bill as we were, don't deny it," said Angelina scathingly.

"I can't believe _you_," Penelope shot at Tonks. "Cursing Charlie one second, then struck dumb by him the next. You're such a hypocrite."

"Hey," said Tonks. "I saw _you_ giggling like a child at the sight of Percy."

"Girls," said Alicia, "let's not fight, please. It's obvious we're not mad at them anymore."

The women glared at Alicia for a moment, then their anger melted away.

"Z'ee is right," said Fleur, defeated.

"But what are we going to do about it?" said Angelina.

"Ginny told me about how her youngest brother left and that Hermione had a thing with him before their fight," said Alicia. "If we just suddenly get all lovey-dovey with the men, Hermione'll be really distraught."

"You're right," said Tonks. "We have to be strong. For Hermione."

* * *

_**Thanks for reading, please review ^_^**_


	9. Hunt and Confrontation

For the next freezing days, the women tried to hide their growing feelings for the men, as they became increasingly perceptive to Hermione's moods.

They took it in turns to deliver food to the men so they could spend a blissful minute or two with their respective partners. A schedule soon developed: Alicia on Mondays, Penelope on Tuesdays, Fleur on Wednesdays, Tonks on Thursdays, Angelina on Fridays, Hermione on Saturdays, and Ginny on Sundays. Before their eyes, their week of detainment had transformed into a month and they found it hard to not celebrate this anniversary with their guys.

On one Friday, Ginny walked in on Fred and Angelina locked in a tight embrace during one of Angelina's meal runs to the garage.

"Please don't tell Hermione," Angelina begged as Fred hugged her from behind, burying his face in her neck.

In fact, Ginny had been growing more and more worried about Hermione's emotional state. She barely talked anymore and had begun to use stiff movements. At first, Ginny had thought she was ill, but it was not a virus that plagued her.

So, one gray Sunday morning she gave the men a lecture.

"You lot need to start going out and trying to find Ron. The reason the girls are being so reserved is because they don't want to make Hermione's separation from him worse."

When her brothers gave her blank stares, she said, "Just think how _you'd_ feel to be separated from your girls! I'm practically going through the same thing as Hermione, and it's all your guys' fault, but you don't see either of us complaining, so man up and _go find him_."

Bill was looking exceptionally guilty but Percy said, "But what about our work?"

"_I'll_ do it all if you just go look for him!" said Ginny, resigning herself.

"Really?" said George, blinking in astonishment.

"Starting today!" said Ginny. "Make a list of places he might have chosen to set up camp and I'll go bundle up for the day ahead."

Half an hour later, the Weasley men apparated to separate locations to begin their searches for their missing brother.

* * *

Before her depression, Hermione had taught Ginny some more handy spells while they were holed up in the house (she was a bit more responsible with advanced magic than her brothers), so she could now handle several of her brothers' jobs without breaking a sweat.

Fortunately, the other women noticed, so they went out to help, except for Fleur and Penelope, who were stationed inside to distract Hermione and make sure she didn't notice anything odd going on.

Rather unfortunately, she couldn't be kept in the dark for long.

"Where has Ginny been all day?" asked Hermione, looking up from her book. She was seated at the kitchen table; Fleur and Penelope had been baking cookies.

"Er—I think she's outside with Tonks," said Penelope.

"Zumtheeng important, I theenk," piped up Fleur.

Hermione marked her place and set down her book. The two exchanged nervous glances.

"What's going on?"

"They're just doing some chores outside."

"I thought the men had it all under control," said Hermione suspiciously.

"Zey went out for ze day."

Hermione narrowed her eyes but didn't question it. She picked her book back up and disappeared into its pages. Fleur and Penelope breathed silent sighs of relief.

* * *

The Weasley men returned baring no news and yielding no evidence. Ginny and the other women who had done work all day stayed outside to talk strategy with them, which made Hermione all the more aware of their sneaking about.

"Now, really," said Hermione, peeking through one of the window curtains. "I thought the girls were angry."

Fleur and Penelope were about to take evasive action when the other women came in through the door, cheeks and noses red from cold.

"What is going on? You're all acting so odd."

"Nothing," Ginny said, unraveling a scarf from around her neck. "Just helping out the guys while they ran some errands."

"We're running out of supplies again," added Alicia. The other women nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's awfully nice of you."

No one answered and they all began helping to cook supper.

This new routine continued for the next several days. The Weasley men would apparate away and the women would take up their duties outside in the biting cold.

On the fifth day, Charlie checked back early.

"When everyone gets back, we need to have a Weasley meeting," he said in an undertone to Ginny.

At five o'clock, when the rest of the Weasleys returned, the six siblings assembled in the garage.

"I found him," Charlie said, not wasting any time.

"Where?" asked several of his siblings, including Ginny.

"Forest of Dean."

"What? Really?" said Fred.

"We did go camping there once," said Bill.

"What did he say when he saw you?" asked Ginny

"He told me to go away," said Charlie, chuckling darkly. "I didn't, of course, I stayed to knock some sense into him. Literally."

He massaged the knuckles on his right hand tenderly.

"Okay, what'd you do after you punched him?" said Percy, slightly disapproving.

"Sat down with him and tried to persuade him to come back. He's still drowning in self-pity. I basically told him what you told us, Ginny. Be a man! I told him he has a girl waiting for him and he's being a git staying away. He told me to piss off."

"We should all go and talk to him, then," said George, standing.

"He'll have moved camp by now," said Bill.

"I guess it's up to him now," said Ginny.

"Fat chance," muttered Fred.

* * *

The following evening, the women persuaded Hermione to let the men into the house to indulge in a supper and some games. The men behaved like proper gentleman all through dinner and tried not to get too rough in the games. Everyone was having a merry time, even Hermione. They were into their second game of musical chairs when there was a knock on the door.

Everyone in the vicinity glanced around. They were all inside. Who could it be?

"Come in," said Bill as the men all stood.

The door swung open.

Silhouetted in frame of the dark night was Ron.

There were a few seconds of silence as everyone stared at Ron and he stared at everyone else. His eyes quickly came to rest upon Hermione and a patch of red appeared on his cheeks and slowly made its way to his ears.

"'Lo," he said.

The room exploded. Ginny bounded up from the floor to embrace him, and everyone else began to hug his or her respective partner. Hermione carefully stood from the sofa and picked her way through the celebrating couples. Ron watched her approach from over Ginny's shoulder. When Hermione was a foot away, Ginny released Ron and stepped aside, grinning.

"'Lo," he said, barely audibly.

Hermione promptly raised her fists and began beating him on the chest.

"You—are—such---an---_arse_—Ronald—Weasley—"

Ron quickly seized her hands and twisted them expertly so that she was forced to swivel around and into him, facing away. He nestled his long nose into her bushy hair and breathed in her scent.

"I missed you too," he said, smirking. She struggled out of his embrace, slapping his hands away as the grin faded from his face.

She turned back to face him, ready to start her assault again. Ginny hurried over to her and muttered, "Let him talk," into her ear.

Ron inclined his head toward Hermione.

"I'm sorry—"

Hermione scoffed.

"Let me finish," he admonished.

She pursed her lips

"I'm sorry," he began again. "But I know just saying it won't make it up to you. So, I'm going to take the women we kidnapped back."

"No, you're not," said Charlie, standing.

"You're the one who persuaded me to come back, Charlie," said Ron, pivoting to face him head-on. "So you have to deal with the consequences. I'm tired of running. I'm going to do what I feel is right."

"We're not going to let you," said Fred as he and his twin stepped forward to stand beside Charlie.

Sensing danger, Hermione said, "Boys, take this outside."

Charlie strode forward and pushed Ron roughly out the door. The other Weasleys followed.

"Ginny, you might get hurt," said Hermione, holding Ginny back as she made for the door.

"I lived with them for nineteen years before you came, Hermione. I'll be fine," she said, a steely glint in her eye. "Merlin knows they'll need a referee."

* * *

_**Thank you for reading, please review ^_^**_


	10. Resolution

_I'm sorry this took so long, I hope it doesn't rushed._

* * *

By the time Ginny got outside, Charlie was pushing Ron with hard strikes to his chest, flanked by the rest of their brothers. Ginny rushed to get behind Ron.

"Don't you see!" Ron was shouting. "The only way you're going to be able to keep them is if you take them back! It'll make you look better than you do _now_!"

"We're not giving them back! Who's side are you on, anyway?" Charlie yelled back.

"Their families could get here any second—"

"We'll fight 'em!" roared Fred and George together.

"No!" Ron shouted back. "What if something happens? Do you think your girls'll forgive you if their father or brother gets hurt?"

The three foremost aggressors hesitated. At the same time, Bill and Percy came forward.

"Ron's right. I stand with Ron," said Bill.

"Agreed," said Percy.

"Are you joking?" said Fred. "You want to give them back?"

"There's no other logical way," said Percy.

Charlie and the twins glared at Ron. Satisfied, Ginny went back into the house.

"What happened?" said Hermione when she had stepped inside.

"They didn't need a referee after all," said Ginny, wearing a huge grin. "Ron stood up to them all by himself and won."

Despite herself, Hermione beamed. The five other women were crowded around the kitchen table, looking worried.

Five minutes later, the Weasleys stomped back inside. They all looked solemn, yet determined. Without a word, despite the questioning glances from the women, the men ushered their partners into the sitting room, save Ron. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were now the only ones in the kitchen.

"Er—Ginny? Could you, er—"

"Oh, yeah," said Ginny, standing hurriedly and almost running out of the room.

Alone at last, Ron turned to Hermione, who had seated herself at the kitchen table. She was gazing at him with an expression he couldn't recognize. He sat opposite her, looking down at his filthy hands. Close up, she now realized that he looked thinner than before, worn and battered. His ginger hair was sticking up in every direction; there was a hint of stubble on his jaw and what looked like a half-healed bruise around his right eye.

"So. What now?"

"We're taking the women back."

"I see."

Ron was still staring intently at his interlocked fingers. "My brothers are asking them if they want to stay one more night or leave now. Though I'm sure that if… if they feel for my brothers… the way _I_ feel for _you_… they'll want to stay as long as possible."

Hermione scratched at the wooden table surface. "Bizarre."

Ron glanced up. "What?"

"No matter how weird you are or how angry you make me, I don't love you any less."

Ron traced a knot in the wood with the tip of his finger for a moment, his mouth silently repeating her words.

"Love," he breathed. Then audibly he said, "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Hermione leaned forward and took his chin in her hand.

"Probably."

Their lips met across the table momentarily before Hermione pulled back again.

"You were very brave, standing up to your older brothers like that. I've never seen Charlie so angry."

"Yeah, I swear he was a dragon tamer in a past life," said Ron, chuckling, ears still red from the kiss.

"How did you get them to agree?"

"Logical persuasion," said Ron, flashing his teeth. He offered no more explanation.

"I really am sorry for going along with their plan to kidnap the women in the first place," he said suddenly. "Fred and George bought me a Firewhiskey and things just… spun out of control. One thing I didn't tell you about that day is that I got into a little scuffle with that Harry Potter bloke."

Hermione gasped. "Really?!"

"Yeah," said Ron, looking pleased with himself. He'd won.

"You do know that's the man your sister's fallen for, right?"

Ron's blue eyes widened. "I didn't know that."

Hermione had difficulty reigning in her sudden annoyance at Ron; she didn't want to ruin the night.

"Well, she could have chosen someone _better_," said Ron stubbornly.

"You don't have a choice when it comes to love."

----------------

The women did indeed grudgingly choose to stay one more night. Hermione spaced everyone out evenly in the house. Ron would share his room with Bill and Percy. Charlie would move into Fred and George's while Alicia migrated to Ginny's and Angelina moved into Percy's with Penelope. Fleur, Tonks, and Hermione would stay where they were, in Bill and Charlie's and the master bedroom respectively. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who could actually fall asleep. The rest of the house stayed restlessly awake, anticipating the dawn and their separation.

But at around three o'clock, the entire house was shaken awake with a flurry of spells and shouting from outside.

The men stormed down the stairs donning robes and jackets and pulling out their wands. The women came just behind, led by Hermione. Bill approached the door first, but before going outside, all of the men, as one, turned on their heels and shouted, "Stay here!" to the women. The latter immediately ran to the windows to watch.

The Weasleys assembled themselves into a line to face the oncoming torrent of invaders. They were all male, all had wands out, and all looked murderous. Though outnumbered two to one, the Weasleys held their ground, waiting for someone to speak.

"Where are they?" shouted someone in the back. Several other men grunted in agreement.

"Where are who?" Fred asked lazily, smirking. Inside the house, the women all groaned in exasperation with Angelina.

"Don't play dumb! We know you have them!" shouted another man.

"Let me handle this!" cried a different man, elbowing through the crowd to get to the front. He stepped over the invisible line, raising his wand, heading straight for Fred. Immediately, his brothers stepped in front of him, pointing their wands at the offender's chest. The other men stepped toward the Weasleys, faces contorted in fury.

"Men!" huffed Hermione, having seen enough and stepping outside, Ginny on her heels.

Hermione and Ginny sprinted right out into the middle of the soon-to-be brawl, Hermione facing the offensive, Ginny facing her brothers. That's when Hermione recognized the man who had attacked Fred.

"Harry?"

"Hermione?" he said, blinking. Then his face became angry again. "I'd forgotten you were the first one they kidnapped."

"They didn't kidnap me!" Hermione shouted. "If you remember, I came of my own free will!"

The rest of the women had ventured out to stand between their relations and their boyfriends. Ginny turned to stand beside Hermione.

"Harry," Ginny said softly. His attention was diverted to her, and for a moment he could only look at her.

"…Ginny?"

His wand arm sank to his side. A few of the men behind him advanced, grunting in confusion.

"Stop." Harry held out his hand, halting his comrades. Everyone was staring at Harry as he gazed at Ginny. The corners of Ginny's mouth twitched as if she was forcing herself not to smile.

Abruptly, Harry thrust his wand into a pocket and pulled Ginny into a hug. The action was met with cries of outrage from his peers.

"You're fraternizing with the enemy!"

"He's not on our side anymore, kill him!"

"Kill them all!"

Harry turned and pulled Ginny behind himself. Ron stepped in front of Hermione and held up his wand. Before anyone else could move, the women stepped forward as one, a glint of steel in each eye.

"You will not touch them," said Angelina. The other women nodded. The opposing men were rendered dumbstruck as the damsels they came to save rose against them.

"Fleur," called a man with a strong accent. "Stop 'zis nonsense and come 'ome."

"I _am_ 'ome, Fazzur!" She retreated to stand by Bill. She reached out and took his hand.

Another man came forward to grab Penelope's upper arm. Percy was right there. "Remove your hand, sir." There were flames in his eyes.

"Craig!" Penelope said, ripping her arm out of her brother's grip.

"Fellows, please!" Harry shouted at the men.

It seemed they had come to a stalemate. The women refused to be taken away, the Weasleys refused to let them go, and the attackers refused to surrender.

Hermione carefully stepped away from Ron's protective stance in front of her, and gently nudged away the hand that had come out to hold her back. She cleared her throat and addressed the assembly.

"Can we please calmly talk about this like the adults we all are?"

The suggestion was met with silence. Harry came to her aid.

"That's a great idea, Hermione. Where shall we _sit and talk_?"

"I'm not putting my wand away while those animals have my daughter!" shouted a man.

"Tedd!" Tonks strode out of the women's line and at her father. Frankly, Hermione was surprised she hadn't said anything before this. Tonk's anger was menacing to behold.

"Never," she said, poking a finger into Tedd's chest, "call the Weasleys animals again. You only wish you were half the men they are."

Tedd Tonks flinched, but stood his ground against his daughter.

"If you love us," piped up Alicia, "you will respect our wishes."

Another silence followed this statement. Everyone glared at each other.

"Okay," Harry said, glancing at Hermione, the other outsider. "What if we reconvened this meeting at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"We'd leave and they would whisk the girls away again!"

"Wait," Hermione said, quieting them down again. "Only Weasleys can apparate in and out of the Burrow, so they can apparate all of us there together. No one will be left behind."

The men did not like this idea, especially the Weasleys. Hermione glanced at Ron; he nodded at her. She could tell he didn't want to speak because the offenders did not want to hear anything coming from a Weasley.

"Okay, everyone grab onto a Weasley then," said Harry with bravado. He made a show of wrapping his arm around Ginny's waist and pinning her to his side. When this nearly made the men growl, Harry chuckled nervously but didn't let her go.

"Only the _men_ can apparate out of here," hissed Ginny.

"Oh," said Harry, quickly letting her go.

Tonks led her father over to Charlie. The redhead reluctantly held out his arm for them to take hold of. After a sharp look from his daughter, Tedd took Charlie's arm and with a crack the three were gone.

"How do we know that they've gone to the Leaky Cauldron?" said Craig Clearwater. Wasting no time, Penelope dragged him over to Percy. "Let's see, shall we?" A crack and they were gone.

Fleur brought Bill to her father and the three of them disapperated. Alicia and Angelina did the same with their brother and father respectively.

The ones left, who were neither family members nor friends, who had just wanted to come along and confront the socially feared and hated Weasley clan, were told where to go so that they were out of the Burrow boundary and could freely apparate themselves to the pub.

Finally, only Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were left.

"We should go, before they start a fight and tear up Tom's place," Harry said, looking at Ron.

"Do you think you can apparate all four of us?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes. Are you ready?"

Harry and Ginny both took an arm, and Hermione embraced him from behind. With effort, he turned on his heel and they all felt the sensation of apparation.

They arrived outside the Leaky Cauldron. Quickly, and with great trepidation, Hermione pushed open the door and entered.

It was dead silent. Hermione didn't think she had ever heard the place so quiet. The Weasleys were sitting on one side of a long table in the center of the room, staring across at the family members on the other side. The women were standing just behind the Weasleys. Bill stood when they entered.

"We've come to an agreement."

"What?" said Ron. "We just got here!"

"While you lot were lollygaging around, we came to a decision," said Fred, also standing.

The four who had just arrived looked to the women, then the family members for confirmation. They all nodded. There was no hint of a lie in their faces.

"What happened?"

But just then, the rest of the Weasley-hunting party showed up, barging in through the door of the pub. They brought with them a large amount of noise. Bill moved closer, talking over the racket.

"Let's just say, that barman is one fine negotiator."

Hermione looked over to the bar and spotted Tom slowly cleaning a glass. He grinned toothily at her when he saw she was looking. She smiled back, pleased that he had helped. She turned back to Bill.

"So, what's the verdict?"

Fred and Bill exchanged glances.

"We're all getting married!"

Hermione gasped as all the Weasleys' solemn faces cracked into huge smiles and the women ran over to her and hugged her, jumping up and down. The family members stood slowly and walked over to the other disbelieving men.

Once Hermione had been released from the women's clutches, Ron approached her. Not taking his eyes off of hers, he kneeled.

"Hermione Granger," he said, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Hermione flung her arms around him before he could get all the way off of the floor. She looked over his shoulder at Tom, resolving to wheedle the whole story of his role in this out of him one day.

"You do realize this is where we first met," Ron breathed into her ear. Unable to reply coherently, Hermione squeezed him harder. Before her vision was completely obscured with tears of joy, Hermione let go of Ron and turned back to her future siblings-in-law.

The mass wedding took place in the yard of the Burrow. Hermione had to enlarge it to accommodate the amount of guests for seven couples. The women walked down the aisle in order of groom age; that is, Fleur went to Bill first, then Tonks to Charlie, Penelope to Percy, Angelina to Fred, Alicia to George, Hermione to Ron, and Ginny to Harry. Harry was the only one on the altar without red Weasley hair. It made Hermione giggle.

Once the vows had been taken, and the men were leaning in for the kiss, Hermione thought about how lucky she was to have met this incredibly bizarre and lovely family of redheaded Weasleys. She thought of her new sisters-in-law and all the fun they would all have together. And finally, as their lips met, she thought of how glad she was that Ronald Weasley had come looking for an amah in the Leaky Cauldron that day.

* * *

**The end.**


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